R-Factor impresses; basketball season starts

I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend. First, I would like to thank all of the contestants on the R-Factor, the annual talent show hosted by the Class of 2015. I had so much fun being a judge, and I am always impressed by the talents of my fellow classmates. We had six very talented acts ranging from whistling to freestyle rap, and it turned out to be a very entertaining night. It was difficult for the judges to come to an agreement on the winners of the talent show, but I hope the victors enjoy their gift cards and that those who did not win know that they performed well and that the crowd definitely enjoyed the show.

The Executive Board meetings have been a little quiet lately so if your club has a proposal or would like to get something done before Winter Break, now is the time! Last week, we were visited by the Women’s Soccer Club who was approved to become Union-funded and the Rensselaer Pride Alliance who came in to discuss the funding of their Drag Show, which I heard was a major success this past weekend. As budgeting approaches, we have been discussing the budgeting guidelines, food policies, and creating a new club funding proposal sheet. As a reminder, all preliminary budgets are due on November 30. Please make sure to work with your E-Board Representative and Student Activities Resource Person to put together a budget that accurately represents the activities and events that your club holds. The official budgeting guidelines will be out sometime next week, and I will be informing club officers of any major changes. On that note, update your club membership lists! Having an updated officer list and first point of contact allows for us to communicate effectively with your club. When you have updated membership lists, it allows us to accurately assess the participation in your club for budgeting purposes. The club officer list is also something we pull from when there are any leadership events being hosted. Phalanx uses these membership lists to check the participation of a nominee for their leadership honor societies. These are only a few of the many good reasons to update your officer list, so please help us out!

In the world of athletics, I wish the men’s and women’s basketball teams the best of luck as they begin their seasons this weekend. The women’s basketball team begins its season with a tournament in Maine. On Saturday, the men will play away against Worcester Polytechnic Institute, then compete in their first home game the following afternoon at 3 pm against Berkeley. While the basketball teams begin their season the football team, and cross country teams will be concluding their seasons this weekend. Cross country will be competing in the NCAA Atlantic Regional, and football has a home game against Union College to fight for the Dutchman Shoes trophy. I can’t wait to see everyone there cheering them on!

Finally, I would like to congratulate our men’s and women’s soccer teams, especially their seniors, on amazing seasons. The women lost in the semi-finals of the Liberty League Tournament to Saint Lawrence on penalties after a 0-0 draw. The men fell in the league title game 1-0, also to Saint Lawrence. I know it is never easy to say goodbye to a season, or to an NCAA career, but remember to be proud of how far you have come as programs and as individuals during your time here in RPI athletics.

Have a great week! Today, I will not be in my office hours due to budgeting meetings but as always feel free to email me with any questions at pu@rpi.edu.